DOCSLIB.ORG

CORRUPTION and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: the CASE of CROATIA Abstract Key Words: Corruption, Economic Development, Croatia, Public P

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CORRUPTION and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: the CASE of CROATIA Abstract Key Words: Corruption, Economic Development, Croatia, Public P CORRUPTION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF CROATIA 4 Abstract Many surveys have conclusively shown that countries with higher and more widespread corruption tend to have slower economic development and lower growth income per capita. Corruption is the most important obstacle to exiting the vicious circle of poverty, economic inequality, illiteracy and ineffective investment. Countries with much corruption badly use or altogether neglect their available human and natural resources. Corruption is a serious threat to foreign direct investments, and significantly contributes to political instability and widespread disbelief in governmental institutions and state bodies. Corruption jeopardizes public revenues and endangers existing social belief or enables its creation. Unclear and often changing laws that provide public officials with huge discretionary powers are fertile preconditions for widespread corruption. This causes insecurity in business activities, encourages suboptimal decisions and makes impossible, or at least hinders, the realization of economic development and poverty reduction. Widespread corruption and the intermingling of government and organized crime are especially dangerous in transitional countries, where the privatizing process includes huge assets that are the result of work of many previous generations. The goal of this paper is to extend this analysis by further exploring the institutional settings and practical experiences of policies towards combatting corruption and tax evasion in Croatia. The overall purpose of this analysis is to understand the complex mechanism underlying the persistence causes of corruption, since a clear understanding of the mechanism will enable assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current anti-corruption measures in Croatia. In general, when people consider the government corrupt and believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction this negatively effects social solidarity as expressed in trust in others, and reduces trust in the bodies and decisions of the authorities. Laws must be clear and durable, leaving the least possible room for discretionary action, while decisions must be made on the basis of clear criteria, and be transparent and accessible to the public. Key words: corruption, economic development, Croatia, public policy, public revenues 4 Institute of Public Finance, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, Smiciklasova 21, [email protected]. This Paper is an output of the European Commission's Framework 7 Industry-Academia Partnerships Programme (IAPP) grant no. 611259 entitled 'Out of the shadows: developing capacities and capabilities for tackling undeclared work in Bulgaria, Croatia and FYR Macedonia' (GREY). The author would like to thank the funders for providing the financial support to enable the research and writing of this paper. The usual disclaimers apply. 21 Introduction Causal explanations of corruption and governance proliferate, as do studies of the effects of different political institutional arrangements on important outcomes such as economic growth, social equality and political stability. Yet relatively little attention has been paid to the theoretical and empirical links between corruption and governance, on the one hand, and political institutions, on the other. Many authors (Rose-Ackerman, 1999, della Porta and Vannucci, 2016) and institutions, like Transparency International, have conclusively shown that countries with higher and more widespread corruption tend to have slower economic development and lower growth income per capita. Corruption is the most important obstacle to exiting the vicious circle of poverty, economic inequality, illiteracy and ineffective investment. Countries with widespread and deeply rooted corruption badly use or altogether neglect their available human and natural resources. Corruption is a severe threat to foreign direct investments, and contributes to political instability and widespread disbelief in governmental institutions and state bodies. Corruption threatens public revenues and endangers existing social belief or enables its creation. Corruption activities divert the resources of all citizens into the hands of a select few, and mostly from poor to rich. The lack of financial resources causes low quality of public services and/or enables their provision. This causes higher infant and child mortality rates, a lower quality of child nutrition and higher school drop-out rates. Unclear and often changing laws that provide public officials with huge discretionary powers are fertile preconditions for widespread corruption. This causes insecurity in business activities, encourages suboptimal decisions and makes impossible, or at least hinders, the realization of economic development and poverty reduction. Pervasive corruption and the intermingling of government and organized crime are especially dangerous in post- transitional countries, where the privatizing process includes huge assets that are the result of work of many previous generations. According to Budak (2006) corruption is categorized among the major challenges faced by the South- efforts towards establishing regulatory and institutional bases for fighting corruption, including specialized anti-corruption agencies, significant problems persist, especially with regard to the practical implementation of existing legal frameworks and institutional enforcement. Although it is hard to generalize in the context of the different SEE countries given their varying national historical and institutional environments, there seem to be several basic common problems throughout the region which draw a distinct picture of the major corruption difficulties in the region. They are primarily linked to limited institutional independence and capacity resulting in slow implementation of anti- One of these countries, Croatia, is a relatively small country with a population of 4.3 million inhabitants. The start of formal EU accession negotiations in 2005, marked a turning point regarding the fight against corruption, since the Croatian government was under foreign and domestic pressure to make tangible progress against corruption, particularly against the high-level corruption that had proliferated since Croatia's independence. Croatia became a European Union member state in June 2013. Although 22 the government has expressed a determined obligation to undertake measures against corruption, still there are opinions that the fight against this social evil hasn't been given the needed political acceptance and respect. One can estimate that in Croatia there are different laws and institutions in charge of reducing the corruption, but a serious problem exists, there is a low level of law enforcement. After these introduction notes, the second part contains a short theoretical framework and literature review. The third is dedicated to the recent history of Croatia and its fight against corruption. Part four deals with level of law enforcement, while the last chapter contains conclusion remarks. The main purpose of this analysis is to understand the complex mechanism underlying the persistence of causes of corruption, since a clear understanding of the mechanism will enable assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current anti-corruption measures in Croatia. Theoretical framework and literature review Generally, one can define corruption as an act that subverts the public good for private or particularistic gain. This broad definition condenses most extant definitions and usages of the term in contemporary social science and in practical politics. According naturally sound condition, into something unsound, impure, debased, infected, tainted, there is an important link between this minimal definition and the history of this key concept of modern political and economic Western thought (Gerring and Thacker, 2004). Rothstein (2001) described the relationship between the rule of law, institutions, corruption and faith in others. In civilized society, institutions of law and order play a very important role: to detect and punish traitors, those who violate agreements, steal, kill and commit similar acts that harm society, which makes it impossible to trust them. So if citizens deem that certain institutions are doing what they are supposed to in a just and efficient manner, that people will refrain from treasonous behaviour, and in such circumstances think that most people can be trusted. According to Dreher et al (2007, 2009), corruption threatens public revenues and disrupts existing trust or prevents it altogether. Corrupt practices redirect the funds of all citizens into the hands narrow select elite, from the poor majority to the wealthy. A shortage of money impinges upon the quality of and/or prevents the rendering of public select the top bidder, nor will it permit the advancement of capable and professional public officials. It will instead spend public funds at its own whims to suit its own needs and reduce the salaries of public officials, who will in turn orient their efforts to extorting corruption from the citizens they serve. Stated concisely, corruption leads to (or enhances) governmental inefficiency and hinders or blocks economic growth and competitiveness. Greater and longer lasting non-observance of laws means destruction of the entire social fabric and undermining of achievements made over the long run. This is fertile 23 ground for the emergence of corruption, which disrupts economic flows, creates its own and dissolves any trust in existing institutions
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Major Public Enterprises in Croatia
    WORKING PAPER Major Public Enterprises in Croatia AJO RIMORAC Anto B & Marko P CIRIEC N° 2015/09 CIRIEC activities, publications and researches are realised with the support of the Belgian Federal Government - Scientific Policy and with the support of the Belgian French Speaking Community - Scientific Research. Les activités, publications et recherches du CIRIEC sont réalisées avec le soutien du Gouvernement fédéral belge - Politique scientifique et avec celui de la Communauté française de Belgique - Recherche scientifique. This working paper is indexed and available Ce working paper est indexé et disponible in SSRN and RePEC dans SSRN et RePEC ISSN 2070-8289 © CIRIEC No part of this publication may be reproduced. Toute reproduction même partielle de cette publication est strictement interdite. Major Public Enterprises in Croatia Anto Bajo** and Marko Primorac Working paper CIRIEC N° 2015/09 This case study was presented at the Seminar "Major Public Enterprises in a global perspective", University of Milan, June 25-26, 2015, Research Project of CIRIEC International Scientific Commission on Public Services/Public Enterprises. ** Prof. Anto Bajo, PhD, Institute of public finance, Smičiklasova 21, 10000 Zagreb. (Email: [email protected]). Marko Primorac, PhD, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, Trg J. F. Kennedya 6, 10000 Zagreb. (Email: [email protected]). 3 Abstract The aim of this paper is to present basic characteristics of state-owned enterprises in Croatia, assess their financial operations and identify major trends in their operations and long-term development prospects. The analysis is carried out for the period from 2009 to 2013. The paper gradually examines financial operations, management system and the systems of accountability and transparency.
    [Show full text]
  • World Bank Document
    RePort No. 17261-HR Croatia Beyond Stabilization December 19,1997 Public Disclosure Authorized EuroPe and Central Asla Poverty Reぐ―uct 旧n and Econom に Managenlent @ Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Document of the World Baak 網田国国目国日国国国国園園 国日園 Public Disclosure Authorized List of Acronyms and Abbreviations BRA Bank Rehabilitation Agency CBS Central Bureau of Statistics CEE Central Europe Economies CIT Corporate Income Tax CMEA Council for Mutual Economic, Assistance CPF Croatian Privatization Fund CPI Consumer Price Index DFI Direct Foreign Investment FSRY Former Socialist Republic of'Yugoslavia FY Fiscal year GDP Gross Domestic Product HEP Croatian Electricity Co. HII Health Insurance Institute HPT Croatian Post and Telecommunications HZ Croatian Railways Ltd. INA Industry of Oil Co. LRSE Law on the Restructuring of Selected Enterprises NBC National Bank of Croatia OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ORESE Office for the Restructuring of State Enterprises PAYGO Pay as you go (pension system) PBZ Privredna.Banka Zagreb PIT Personal Income Tax SEC Securities and Exchange Commission SIMAF State Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting SFRY Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia UCEA Unified Classification of Economic Activities ULC Unit Labor Cost VAT Value Added Tax Currency Unit Croatian Kuna (HRK) Average Exchange Rates (Kuna per US$) 1992 1993 1994 1995 11996 0.264 3.58 5.99 5.23 5.43 Fiscal Year January 1 - December 31 Vice President: Johannes Linn, ECA Country Director: Arntraud Hartmann, ECC02 Sector Director: Pradeep Mitra, ECSPE Responsible Staff. Jean-Jacques Dethier (Task Team Leader), Marcelo Bisgono (ECSPE), Gerardo Corrochano, Madalene O'Donnell (ECC02) TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMM ARY ...................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • International Journal of Management Cases
    International Journal of Management Cases Special Issue Corporate governance in Southeast Europe: in search for transparency and efficency Guest editors Darko Tipuric and Veljko Trivun Volume 14 Issue 3 EDITORS Professor Darko Tipuric Graduate School of Economics, University of Zagreb Western Europe [email protected] Professor Barry J. Davies Professor of Marketing, University of Gloucestershire, UK Professor Yan Xu [email protected]. Shanxi University of Finance and Economics [email protected] The Rest of the World Professor Claudio Vignali ASSOCIATE EDITORS Arnold Ziff Chair in Retailing, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK [email protected] Gianpaolo Vignali Manchester Metropolitan University, UK [email protected] EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. Leo Dana Dr. Mirko Palic University of Canterbury, New Zealand Graduate School of Economics, University of Zagreb [email protected] [email protected] Professor Alberto Mattiacci Professor of Retailing and Marketing,The University of Sienna, Italy mattiaccialbunisi.it www.ijmc.org Dr. Hans-Rüdiger Kaufmann University of Nicosia, Cyprus [email protected] www.circleinternational.co.uk Professor Dr. Jürgen Polke Virtual University of Munich, Germany [email protected] ISSN 1741-6264 Professor Carlo A. Pratesi Professor of Retailing Marketing, University of Urbino, Italy International Journal of Management Cases is published by: [email protected] Professor Brenda Sternquist Access Press UK, Professor, International Retail Management, Michigan State 1 Hillside Gardens , University, USA [email protected] Darwen, Dr. Tomasz Wisniewski Lancashire, The University of Szczecin Poland BB3 2NJ [email protected] UK Professor Irena Neganova Ural Sate University, Russia [email protected] Dr Ulrich Scholz Fontys Fachhochschule, Nederlands [email protected] Professor Sanda Renko Graduate School of Economics Zagreb, Croatia [email protected] Professor Lutz Sommer University of Albt, Germany [email protected] Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cross-Generational Inquiry
    Historical Remembering and Attitudes Towards the “Other”: A Cross-generational Inquiry A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University By Silvia Šušnjić Master of Arts Columbia University, 2004 Director: Dennis J.D. Sandole, Professor Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution Spring Semester 2010 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Copyright 2010 Silvia Šušnjić All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION This is dedicated to my family, friends, mentors and the people of the former Yugoslavia. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There were countless times throughout my studies that I thought of the following questions: What makes people view “Others” as evil? What kind of memories and attitudes are prevalent in defining the “Other” as evil? These questions were especially relevant in the context of the former-Yugoslavia where almost instantaneously neighbors became strangers, friends became enemies and once “good” people were now labeled as “evil” because of their accent, the names they had, or the looks they portrayed. Simple gestures, the way one spoke, even the way one displayed the number three could have at one point been grounds for harassment. This study aims to discover the reasons why certain individuals were and others were not affected by the socio-political and historic constructs created to define “other” individuals as enemies. My outmost appreciation for this project goes to my Committee Chair Dr. Dennis J.D. Sandole, who devoted much of his time to guide me throughout this project. Dr. Sandole helped me shape my dissertation ideas and always encouraged me to think outside the box in order to come up with the next “great” idea.
    [Show full text]
  • Party Outcomes in Hybrid Regimes in the Western Balkans and Beyond
    Party Outcomes in Hybrid Regimes in the Western Balkans and Beyond By Ivan Vuković Submitted to Central European University Department of Political Science In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Supervisor: Professor Zsolt Enyedi Budapest, May 2014 Abstract Most political parties that had been ruling in hybrid regimes lost power as these regimes ceased to exist i.e. democratized. Yet, some of these parties remained politically dominant notwithstanding the regime change. This PhD thesis aims to offer a plausible explanation of their different political fates (here defined as party outcomes). Its main focus is on the incumbent parties in hybrid regimes that existed in Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro during the last decade of the 20th century. In addition, the thesis looks at a larger population of similar cases with the ambition to contribute to a better general understanding of the diverging party outcomes. The thesis puts forward a theoretically innovative model explaining the party outcomes, founded upon the two assumptions: (1) the diverging fates of dominant parties in hybrid regimes are determined by these parties’ (lack of) institutionalization; (2) (the lack of) their institutionalization is determined by the salience of the national question in the process of political mobilization leading to the regime establishment. Process tracing method is employed to test the presence in the three cases under observation of the thus constructed causal mechanism linking the hypothesized conditions (nationalist mobilization and the lack of party institutionalization) and party outcome (the loss of power). The theoretical relevance of the results of the analysis, supported by numerous causal process observations (including, among others, 27 in-depth interviews), is subsequently assessed within a broader empirical domain.
    [Show full text]
  • The Formation of Croatian National Identity
    bellamy [22.5].jkt 21/8/03 4:43 pm Page 1 Europeinchange E K T C The formation of Croatian national identity ✭ This volume assesses the formation of Croatian national identity in the 1990s. It develops a novel framework that calls both primordialist and modernist approaches to nationalism and national identity into question before applying that framework to Croatia. In doing so it not only provides a new way of thinking about how national identity is formed and why it is so important but also closely examines 1990s Croatia in a unique way. An explanation of how Croatian national identity was formed in an abstract way by a historical narrative that traces centuries of yearning for a national state is given. The book goes on to show how the government, opposition parties, dissident intellectuals and diaspora change change groups offered alternative accounts of this narrative in order to The formation legitimise contemporary political programmes based on different visions of national identity. It then looks at how these debates were in manifested in social activities as diverse as football and religion, in of Croatian economics and language. ✭ This volume marks an important contribution to both the way we national identity bellamy study nationalism and national identity and our understanding of post-Yugoslav politics and society. A centuries-old dream ✭ ✭ Alex J. Bellamy is lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland alex j. bellamy Europe Europe THE FORMATION OF CROATIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY MUP_Bellamy_00_Prelims 1 9/3/03, 9:16 EUROPE IN CHANGE : T C E K already published Committee governance in the European Union ⁽⁾ Theory and reform in the European Union, 2nd edition .
    [Show full text]
  • Between Cooperation and Antagonism
    BETWEEN COOPERATION AND ANTAGONISM The Dynamics Between Religion and Politics in Sensitive Political Contexts Case: Bosnia and Herzegovina BETWEEN COOPERATION AND ANTAGONISM The Dynamics Between Religion and Politics in Sensitive Political Contexts Case: Bosnia and Herzegovina BETWEEN COOPERATION AND ANTAGONISM The Dynamics Between Religion and Politics in Sensitive Political Contexts Case: Bosnia and Herzegovina Final Report Research period: August-December 2013 (Phase I) January-June 2014 (Phase II) Researched by Sead S. Fetahagić Nebojša Šavija-Valha Written by Sead S. Fetahagić Quality assured by Ingrid Vik Zilka Spahić-Šiljak Design and DTP by Igor Banjac Nansen Dialogue Centre, Sarajevo Scanteam, Oslo Sarajevo, January 2015 The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the view of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is a result of the research carried out in close collaboration between Nansen Dialogue Centre Sarajevo and Scanteam, Oslo with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina ACRONYMS BiH Bosnia and Herzegovina CC Catholic Church CSO Civil Society Organization FBiH Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina HDZ Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina ICBH Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina IRC Interreligious Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina RS Republika Srpska SDA Party of Democratic Action SDS Serb Democratic Party SOC Serbian Orthodox Church CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • The Nation in Social Practice I Economy, Football and Istria
    5 The nation in social practice I Economy, football and Istria The following two chapters assess the way that the disputes about the meaning of Croatian national identity in the 1990s (discussed in the previous chapter) were manifested in a variety of social practices. This third level of abstraction is concerned with how competing conceptions of national identity (Chapter 4) that make use of abstract frames (Chapter 3) are manifested and embedded in social practice and in identifying sites of resistance to the national ‘common sense’. The six brief studies contained here reveal the nation to be a terrain of political competition in which the state is but one, albeit powerful and well resourced, protagonist. Such disputes take place not only among political and intellectual elites but also within a diverse range of social practices. The focus here then is on how interpretations of the historical statehood narrative are manifested in the identities that inform social practices. These chapters ask how competing ideas about Croatian national identity are manifested in different areas of social activity by considering the resonance and reinterpretation of abstract ideas in six areas of social activity. In each of these areas the ‘nationalising state’ attempted to enforce the Franjoist conception of national identity articulated in the previous chapter. However, there were also radical reformulations of nation identity manifested in social practice. Although the government was successful in enforcing its own account of national identity in some areas, such as the education system, alternative accounts flourished in others, such as sections of the economy and the senior hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
    [Show full text]
  • Transition in Croatia
    979 POSEBNI PRILOG Yoji Koyama* TRANSITION IN CROATIA Neke napomene uz rad Yoji Koyame transition in Croatia Nema nijedne zemlje u tranziciji koja ima tako dugu bogatu reformsku i tr- žišnu tradiciju kao Hrvatska i Slovenija. To, razumije se, vrijedi i za druge zemlje nastale razdruživanjem bivše Jugoslavije. Zato se na međunarodnoj znanstvenoj i političkoj sceni očekivalo da će upravo te zemlje biti na čelu tranzicijske kolone upravo onako kao što su dugi niz godina bile na čelu reformske kolone. Eksplo- zija balkanskog nacionalizma onemogućila je takva očekivanja. Izuzetak je samo Slovenija koja je i dalje ostala na čelu kolone. Međutim i bez obzira na tako neočekivani stjecaj događanja brojni ekonomisti znanstvenici posvećuju daleko veću pozornost našim reformskim i tranzicijskim dostignućima nego mi sami. Da ne spominjem brojne radove iz dulje povijesne retrospektive, spomenut ću samo dvije najnovije knjige. Prvu je prošle godine u SAD objavio David Prychitko pod naslovom “Markets, Planning and Democracy, New Thinking in Political Economy”. Drugu knjigu je ove godine u Japanu objavio poznati japanski ekonomist Yoji Koyama koji se dugo godina bavi sa kompara- tivnim studijama. Knjiga je objavljena pod naslovom “South Eastern Europe in Transition”. Najvećim dijelom je posvećena događanjima u zemljama nastalim na prostorima bivše Jugoslavije. U ovoj se knjizi daje široki pogled na reformska i tranzicijska događanja u biv- šoj državi. Citiraju se brojni autori koji su tijekom mnogih godina radili na reformi i tranziciji. Ova knjiga predstavlja jedan od najcjelovitijih pogleda stranog autora koji se dugi niz godina komparativno bavi reformskim i tranzicijskim događanjima * Y. Koyama, profesor na Ekonomskom fakultetu Sveučilišta Niigata, Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Snjezana Veselica Majhut
    CULTURAL SPECIFICITY IN THE TRANSLATION OF POPULAR FICTION FROM ENGLISH INTO CROATIAN DURING THE SOCIALIST AND TRANSITION PERIODS (1960-2010) Snjezana Veselica Majhut Dipòsit Legal: T.1291-2012 ADVERTIMENT. L'accés als continguts d'aquesta tesi doctoral i la seva utilització ha de respectar els drets de la persona autora. Pot ser utilitzada per a consulta o estudi personal, així com en activitats o materials d'investigació i docència en els termes establerts a l'art. 32 del Text Refós de la Llei de Propietat Intel·lectual (RDL 1/1996). Per altres utilitzacions es requereix l'autorització prèvia i expressa de la persona autora. En qualsevol cas, en la utilització dels seus continguts caldrà indicar de forma clara el nom i cognoms de la persona autora i el títol de la tesi doctoral. No s'autoritza la seva reproducció o altres formes d'explotació efectuades amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva comunicació pública des d'un lloc aliè al servei TDX. Tampoc s'autoritza la presentació del seu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX (framing). Aquesta reserva de drets afecta tant als continguts de la tesi com als seus resums i índexs. ADVERTENCIA. El acceso a los contenidos de esta tesis doctoral y su utilización debe respetar los derechos de la persona autora. Puede ser utilizada para consulta o estudio personal, así como en actividades o materiales de investigación y docencia en los términos establecidos en el art. 32 del Texto Refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual (RDL 1/1996). Para otros usos se requiere la autorización previa y expresa de la persona autora.
    [Show full text]
  • Selling Croatia Or Selling out Croatia? Tourism, Privatization and Coastal Development Issues in a "New" Democracy
    SELLING CROATIA OR SELLING OUT CROATIA ? Tourism, Privatization, and Coastal Development Issues in a "New" Democracy Pamela Ballinger Bowdoin College The National Council for Eurasian and East European Researc h 910 17 th Street, N.W. Suite 300 Washington, D .C. 20006 TITLE VIII PROGRAM Project Information* Contractor : Bowdoin College Principal Investigator : Pamela Ballinger Council Contract Number : 817-01f Date : October 24, 200 3 Copyright Information Individual researchers retain the copyright on their work products derived from research funde d through a contract or grant from the National Council for Eurasian and East European Researc h (NCEEER). However, the NCEEER and the United States Government have the right to duplicat e and disseminate, in written and electronic form, reports submitted to NCEEER to fulfill Contract o r Grant Agreements either (a) for NCEEER's own internal use, or (b) for use by the United States Government, and as follows : (1) for further dissemination to domestic, international, and foreign governments, entities and/or individuals to serve official United States Government purposes or (2 ) for dissemination in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act or other law or policy of th e United States Government granting the public access to documents held by the United State s Government. Neither NCEEER nor the United States Government nor any recipient of thi s Report may use it for commercial sale . * The work leading to this report was supported in part by contract or grant funds provided by th e National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, funds which were made available b y the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a Political Economy of Welfare in Croatia
    ECONOMIC ANNALS, Volume LXIV, No. 223 / October – December 2019 UDC: 3.33 ISSN: 0013-3264 https://doi.org/10.2298/EKA1923105S Paul Stubbs* TOWARDS A POLITICAL ECONOMY OF WELFARE IN CROATIA ABSTRACT: A political economy of social two broad forces are dominant in shaping welfare in Croatia explores drivers of, and social welfare in Croatia. The first is war impediments to, change, addressing the im- veterans’ associations and their support- pact of processes of neo-liberalisation, the ers, keen to maintain and even extend their complexities of regulatory and institutional significant benefits in return for continued landscapes and the interactions of nation, support for the HDZ party (Croatian Dem- familialism, and class. Instead of a stable ocratic Union), a quasi-institutionalised welfare regime, Croatia’s welfare system form of ‘social clientelism’. The second is is marked by hybridity in the context of a an empowered radical right, promulgating political economy that continues to be cri- a conservative Catholic agenda of a return sis-prone. This paper focuses on the social to ‘traditional’ – that is, heteronormative welfare implications of the mix of ‘crony’, – family values, reinforcing an aggressive ‘authoritarian’ and ‘predatory’ capitalism Croatian nationalism and advocating ‘de- present in Croatia since independence. mographic renewal’. Other than the role of international actors including the World Bank and the Euro- KEY WORDS: welfare, Croatia, political pean Union, and notwithstanding the lack economy, authoritarian neoliberalism of political will for reform, we suggest that JEL CLASSIFICATION: I39 * The Institute of Economics, Zagreb, Croatia, [email protected] 105 Economic Annals, Volume LXIV, No. 223 / October – December 2019 WHITHER POLITICAL ECONOMY? AN INTRODUCTION Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and is the second most populous country in the post-Yugoslav space with a population estimated at 4.1 million in 2017 (Croatian Bureau of Statistics 2019).
    [Show full text]